


Art Comes From Within (Literally)

by insertfamouspersonsname



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, F/F, the soulmates with the drawings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-24
Updated: 2016-05-24
Packaged: 2018-06-10 09:57:09
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,824
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6951700
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/insertfamouspersonsname/pseuds/insertfamouspersonsname
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lexa's gone her whole life watching those drawings appear on her arm and never sending anything back. She never thought she would actually meet the artist behind the marks. </p><p>Who knew something as simple as a coffee shop closing could change her life completely?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Art Comes From Within (Literally)

Anya and I have gone to the same coffee shop every day since we started college here. Every single day. It was routine, as routine as the drawings appearing on my arms every day since I was seven, and it was nice and that coffee shop had the perfect table for us to set up shop for a few hours of remarkably fast Wi-Fi to get work done. The owner hated us at first, but we always left generous tips and the shop never got a lot of business anyway since it was on the far side of town from campus. Eventually, we were his favorite customers and he would be sure to come out from the back to chat with us a bit every day.

It was perfect.

Then his daughter got pregnant. I don’t know what the sequence of events was, but the next thing I know he’s closing the shop and moving across the country to be closer to his daughter and her new baby. Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy for her, but did he really need to close the perfect coffee shop? In the middle of my last year here no less? She couldn’t have waited six more months to get pregnant?

After that, Anya and I spent a full week trying to find a new coffee shop that was up to our standards. We started with the ones closest to our old one and worked our way closer to campus. It was a shock when we heard about the perfect shop hidden just off central campus that not many students knew about.

 

I cradle my phone between my shoulder and ear as I push open the door of Ark Café and walk in. “No, Ahn, Lincoln said this place is great,” I mumble, looking around slowly as I take a step away from the entrance. It looks quaint. There are only a few tables with chairs in the center of the room. Around the edges are clusters of comfortable looking lounge chairs or couches, end tables and coffee tables scattered amongst them with stacks of books and space still left to set down your drink. In one wall is a fireplace that seems incredibly inviting in this dead of winter freeze. A few feet from the fireplace is the usual cluster of a couch facing it and two chairs angled slightly toward the couch but still facing the crackling fire. I spot a pile of pillows and blankets off to the side, though, as if inviting customers to build a nest closer to the warmth of the fire.

I’m startled from my admiration by my best friend’s voice, overpowering the quiet music rolling softly from hidden speakers. “That’s just because his soulmate works there. You know you can’t trust his judgement when she’s involved.”

I sigh and shake my head, my hand automatically finding the drawing hidden beneath the sleeve covering my opposite arm and rubbing it gently. “No, Anya, this place is great. It might even be better than TonDC. Just come here and check it out at least.”

“Alright, I’ll be there in a few,” she grumbles and I can just see her rolling her eyes. I smirk and hang up my phone, quickly putting it on silent so as not to risk disturbing this calm atmosphere, before sliding it in my pocket. 

I slowly approach the front counter, knowing that this interaction could make or break this place for us. I’m stunned when a girl comes out of the back, a blonde with bright blue eyes that I hope believes in the catch and release system because I can’t imagine being able to look away without her releasing me. She looks almost as entranced as I feel as she stares back at me, and my eyes flick down to her lips just long enough to see they’re curving up in a shy smile. 

“Welcome to Ark Café, can I help you?” she asks, her voice low and husky. I shiver at the sound and shake my head slightly, closing my eyes and forcing away any ounce of attraction toward her. She probably already has her soulmate.

When I open my eyes again, I instinctively glance down at her body. Not to check her out, okay that’s not the only reason but I can’t help it if her uniform hugs her in such a way that you’d have to be blind to not appreciate the beauty there. The real purpose, though, is to catch a glimpse of her skin to see if she has any drawings. The uniform includes a long sleeve shirt, unfortunately, so I get no clues as to whether I have a shot with her. I glimpse her nametag as I look her over, feeling as though her name is so fitting of her. I have no real reason to believe this, everything about her just seems to scream “Clarke” in a way I’ll never fully understand. 

She giggles and I look back up at her face, blushing when I realize I’ve just been standing here staring at her for far too long. I rattle off my normal order mindlessly, getting distracted and stumbling over my words a bit when Clarke’s lips twitch up in the smallest smirk at my request for a pump of cinnamon. I know it’s weird, Anya gives me shit for it too, but I prefer the artificial pump cinnamon flavor over just sprinkling some on top. Although nothing beats a good old fashion cinnamon stick in the drink. 

“Can I get a name for this?” she requests after she finishes jotting down the order. All I can do is nod dumbly, which causes her to glance back up at me with one of her perfect eyebrows raised and that smirk growing.

“Lexa,” I state and she nods, smiling as she focuses back on my drink.

“Alright, Lexa, relax and I’ll call you when it’s ready,” she commands and I nod. I go immediately toward the fireplace, sinking down in front of it and relishing in the warmth it offers. 

I can’t be sitting there long before Clarke comes over, offering the mug to me with a smile. “I thought you were going to call me?” I question, cringing when I realize how it sounds and blushing when she grins and I know she got it too.

“I would have, but I don’t have your number,” she chuckles and I shake my head with a groan.

“I know we just met, but you’re literally the worst,” I inform her, smiling when I draw a laugh from the woman.

“I’m sure I can change your mind about that if you give me the chance,” Clarke replies and I furrow my brows, wondering if she’s actually flirting with me or if I’m making more out of this than what she’s meaning. She breaks our joined gaze first, glancing down at the mug still connecting our hands. “So, I’ve never seen you hear before, what brings you to this neck of the woods?”

“Our old place closed because of family stuff, you know how it is,” I reply with a small shrug. “I can’t say I’m disappointed, this place is…” I look around, my gaze settling on Clarke, “Pretty.”

She blushes and looks down for a second before looking back up at me. “Well, I have to say, you’re good at making decisions.”

I draw my bottom lip between my teeth as I watch Clarke. Her gaze drops down to my mouth and I release the lip to smile at her. My eyes dart to her lips when her tongue slowly drags across them and I can’t tell which of us started leaning forward first. A wave of cold air flows in and makes me jump, effectively killing whatever was going on between myself and Clarke. 

Clarke and I jerk apart and I look over and see Anya looking around skeptically. I wave at my best friend before looking back at the blonde in front of me. She winks before going back to the counter to take Anya’s order. I lift my mug to my face, taking a sip to hide my blush. 

 

“This place loses approximately 72% of its charm on Thursdays,” I mumble into my mug, avoiding Anya’s gaze when she glances over with a smirk and a raised eyebrow.

“Oh, and why would that be? Maybe because Clarke is off today?” she questions and I scowl and shake my head. “Really? You do realize that’s literally the only difference, right?”

I glare at my friend, reclining into the couch with my laptop loading a few websites slowly. I think I might need a new computer soon, this one is getting to be really slow. “That’s not it. The music is different. Playing pop music quietly is nowhere near as relaxing as that jazz that’s usually playing here…” It’s weak and I know it.

Anya stands up and I look up at her, eyeing her carefully. I nearly go into a panic when she approaches the front counter with a smirk. I watch her with wide eyes as she grins and leans against the counter, talking to Octavia in a quiet voice that I have no hope of hearing. They glance over and Octavia gets a mischievous look on her face before disappearing into the back.

I pull out my phone and send Lincoln a quick text. Your girlfriend sucks.

Anya’s back before I have my phone back in my pocket so I opt for balancing it on the arm of the couch and glaring at her in what I hope is a menacing fashion. She simply smiles innocently and raises her hands in surrender.

“I was just asking about the temperature in here. Don’t you think it’s a bit chilly today?” she states and I shake my head. There is no hope of getting a real answer from her now. The door to the café opens and I scowl at Lincoln when he comes in as if it’s his fault Octavia and Anya are teaming up on me. 

Lincoln glances at the counter and comes straight over to the two of us when he sees Octavia is still in the back. “Why does my girlfriend suck?” he asks, sitting down on the arm chair next to me.

“I don’t know, ask Anya,” I say with a nod toward the woman. Lincoln looks at her questioningly but Anya just grins and he nods as if that’s all he needs. “I hate you both.”

We sit in silence for a few moments as Lincoln boots up his computer so he can start working. I turn in my seat so I can keep an eye on the counter, wondering what Octavia’s doing that’s taking so long. 

Lincoln starts typing something on his computer and I know I should just drop the subject, but I can’t let go of my curiosity. “What is Octavia even doing?” I ask once I can’t keep it in anymore and I resent the satisfied smirk on Anya’s face when I break. 

Before I can bother Anya into giving me answers, the door to the back opens again and a grinning Octavia walks in followed by a blushing Clarke. I scowl and glare at my best friend as Clarke trails behind Octavia, missing the glance she throws my way. “I seriously hate you,” I mutter, causing Anya to laugh and pat my shoulder.

The speakers silence for a moment before the typical smooth jazz starts playing and I roll my eyes at Anya. I can’t believe they dragged Clarke away from whatever she’s been doing on her day off just to change the music. Especially since Anya knew I didn’t really care.

“I hear there’s been a complaint about O’s music.” I whip my head around to look at Clarke as she stands a couple feet away, a CD case held up next to her shoulder. She smiles cheekily and I can’t find my words immediately.

“I mean, if Fourplay is an option, who wouldn’t prefer that?” I counter, almost with my usual level of confidence until I realized what I just said. “I mean… I just… Damn it, Clarke. You picked that CD just to get me to say that, didn’t you?” 

She blushes but giggles at my stuttering. “You caught me. I wasn’t entirely convinced you’d fall for such a simple trick, though,” she replies and I can’t keep up with a frown. “Now that I’ve heard you say that, I’ve got to go. As much as I’d love to hang out, O and Ray are completely useless so our apartment upstairs has a lot of cleaning I need to do. I’ll see you tomorrow?”

I can only nod stupidly as Clarke smiles and leaves out the back door again. When I turn back to my friends, I’m grateful to find Lincoln distracted with his soulmate so Anya is all that’s left to make fun of me. That gratefulness is thrown out the window, though, when Raven comes over with our drinks and smirks smugly at me. “You do realize we use Pandora here, not CD’s, right?”

 

I go to the Ark every day for the following few weeks, even Saturdays (“Because I’m tired of always hiding out in my apartment all weekend, Anya.” “Yeah, I’m sure this has nothing to do with the fact Clarke works on Saturdays.” “As if you don’t spend extra time there since discovering Ray’s your soulmate…”) and soon enough Clarke begins to make sure and spend some time sitting with me, typically flirting. She’s shocked when my game finally returns and I flirt back without stuttering over my response. I also notice my drawings are getting more and more like a lovesick teenager, but I brush it off and assume my soulmate is dating someone besides myself. For once, I’m not personally offended by that fact and I ignore the fact that Clarke surely has something to do with that. 

The first time I see Clarke outside of the coffee shop, it’s at the gym. I don’t have the nerve to go up and say hi, but that has less to do with my being intimidated by pretty girls and more to do with the fact that she’s wearing short sleeves for the first time since I’ve met her. I push my sleeve up a few inches and glance down, noting that the rose is definitely a replica of what I see on her. It begins to bleed as I stare, her sweat running into the ink and ruining the beauty. 

I turn and leave the building before I even have the chance to talk myself into saying something.

I get to my apartment and quickly root around for a pen. I write the my first note ever on my arm, nothing that is obviously for her, but a note that I hope she sees.

 

I bounce up and down next to the doors, trying to shake away the chill of the evening. I close my eyes and sigh heavily, wondering briefly if she’s going to show up. 

“Lexa?” I open my eyes suddenly when I hear Clarke say my name. She’s watching me carefully but with a small smile on her face. “I wasn’t expecting to see you here.”

“Oh, yeah, I heard this place is great,” I say lamely and Clarke nods. “I have reservations for…” I glance down at my watch, “right now, actually.”

Clarke brightens up and nods enthusiastically. “Are you sure? I don’t want to intrude on your date.”

“Don’t worry, you’re not intruding,” I reply, holding the door open for the blonde. She smiles gratefully and walks in ahead of me. 

I tell the hostess my name and she smiles brightly, leading us to a table by a window. I take in the single candle lit in the middle of the table and grin at my choice of restaurant. 

“So, you don’t wear dresses, what’s that about?” Clarke asks, nodding to my outfit.

“Oh, I just thought it’d be nice for tonight,” I reply with a shrug, pulling Clarke’s chair out for her.

She chuckles and nods. “You’re right, the weather is per…” She trails off when I peel off my jacket and she gets a glimpse of my forearm. I smile carefully as she stares at the abstract heart, now in full view. 

She looks back up at me, wonder filling her blue depths. “How long have you known?” she whispers, almost as if she’s afraid of getting the wrong answer.

“Since Monday,” I reply and Clarke dips her head. It’s now Saturday and I can understand that she’s wondering why I waited so long before I told her. “I would’ve mentioned it sooner, but this felt more romantic.”

“Well, you are good at making decisions…”

This time when we lean toward each other, no distraction could stop us from making that connection.

**Author's Note:**

> So, that's a thing that happened. I'm really happy with some parts, others I kind of maybe rushed through because I got annoyed with myself for ignoring In Full Color for so long. I just couldn't get this idea out of my head. I hope you enjoyed! I'm not sure if I mentioned the whole drawing thing enough for this to even count as a story in that category, but that was the whole point of the story and I may have gotten carried away with other stuff (Am I still allowed to blame those kinds of mistakes on my beta/gf being out of town and not editing for me?)
> 
> PS I may add to this at some point when I'm in a more stable place in my life and not so stuck on my other story (you know, the one I've actually somehow tricked people into being invested in?) but don't count on that any time soon (or at all since I keep making promises that I don't have time to keep)(if I actually manage to make that happen it'd be cool though because I really do love this story)


End file.
